Now there’s a Zagat Coffee Survey

Have you ever thought to yourself: “Boy I want a cup of coffee, but I don’t know where to go”? Or, “I wonder how many other people take cream in their coffee?”

Well, Zagat has released its first ever coffee survey, assuring any doubters that coffee is having its moment in America right now. Over 1,700 people — not all of them coffee drinkers, though — were polled about their likes and dislikes and favorite shops and so on.

Unlike Zagat’s other guides, the coffee survey is online only (click here to view), and as you can see, coffeeshops are graded in a similar way as restaurants: food, decor, service and costs. However, what could have been a smart resource — coffee shop prices side-by-side and service ratings — is defeated by a very, very limited selection: only nine local coffee shops are included, a third of which are too new for grades. The only roaster on the list is Blue Bottle. When it comes to choosing the list, this is what a Zagat spokesperson said: “Our editors curated lists of the most noteworthy coffee shops in various cities. They took into consideration user comments, ratings and location to find places that would be worthwhile checking out.”

Then there’s the slate of facts and figures (in full below). Some of the data from survey:

Only 30 percent take coffee black.

Compared to the rest of America, people on the West Coast drink less regular coffee and more mochas.

West Coast people also care a lot more than the rest of country that the beans are freshly roasted (81% of people care).

West Coast coffeeshop patrons also care about small businesses more than the rest of the country. 40 percent of West Coasters prefer to drink from small neighborhood coffee houses, highest in the country. Conversely, only 15 percent of West Coasters prefer large coffee chains, compared to 18 percent nationally (though it’s probably safe to surmise that the chain percentage would be different among the entire American public, as opposed to Zagat’s troops).

2 percent of the people in the survey don’t consume coffee. Thanks for participating in the coffee survey, you guys.

According to the survey, the amount that is too much to pay for a barista-made coffee drink is $4.86. For a regular cup of coffee, it’s $3.52.

44 percent of people started drinking coffee between age 15-19 years old.

The survey stats are below (if you can’t see it on your browser, click here to view it):